Sur une exaltation de l'“effet de matrice” lors de la polymerisation de l'acide acrylique dans certains melanges ternaires

The polymerization of acrylic acid proceeds with an extremely high degree of auto-acceleration in certain ternary mixtures. The most drastic effects are observed when small amounts of methanol are added to a dilute solution of acrylic acid in n-hexane. In such systems the auto-acceleration index “β” may exceed 10. β Was found to exhibit a maximum over a fairly narrow range of concentrations. Moreover, the values of β are highest at temperatures between ?5 and + 10°, where a maximum of 16 is reached. The swelling of poly(acrylic acid) in the various reacting mixtures was measured and the molecular associations of the monomer with itself and with methanol were investigated. It was concluded that the “exaltation of the matrix effect” in some of the systems is caused by the complex [(Acrylic acid)₂, McOH]. This complex associates very rapidly with the polymer formed in the early stages of the reaction to produce a structure in which ultrafast propagation occurs. The swelling of the polymer favours the accessibility of the monomer to the polymeric chains during polymerization, leading to auto-acceleration which progresses with conversion and gives rise to a reaction with explosive character.     

Influence de la temperature sur les manifestations de l' “effet de matrice” dans la polymerisation de l'acide acrylique en solution

This study is concerned with the influence of temperature on the kinetics of the polymerization of acrylic acid dissolved in dioxane or toluene and on the type of molecular association complexes present in these solutions. In dioxane solutions, an increase in temperature destroys the oligomeric auto-associations of acrylic acid and gives rise to monomer-solvent associations. Simultaneously, the consequences of the “matrix effect” (auto-acceleration and stéréospecificity) become less pronounced. In contrast, in toluene solutions, an increase in temperature converts the cyclodimeric auto-associations of the monomer into linear oligomers and the consequences of the matrix effect appear (or become more pronounced). The Arrhenius plots exhibit anomalies which conform with the above interpretation. The results obtained in dioxane and in toluene solutions are similar to earlier findings in methanol and n-hexane solutions respectively. This makes it possible to generalize the conclusions reached here to acrylic acid solutions in other solvents which may or may not associate with the monomer.     

Copolymerization de l'acenaphtylene avec le n-vinylcarbazole

The copolymerization of acenaphthylene (ANA) with N-vinylcarbazole (NVC) was investigated at 60° in the melt with 1% AIBN and in benzene solution at 20° with gamma ray initiation. In the melt at 60°, the polymerization rate gradually decreases with the amount of NVC in the mixture. The following reactivity ratios were determined: r_NVC = 0.12; r_ANA = 7.0. The copolymers have a fairly narrow distribution of compositions but contain small amounts of poly NVC. Gamma ray initiation at 20° gives rise to the free radical copolymer together with significant amounts of poly NVC which results from a cationic mechanism. In addition, acenaphthylene cyclodimerizes in the process.     

Polymerisation radiochimique de l'acide acrylique en solution dans l'alcool isopropylique et le dimethylformamide

The radiation-induced polymerization of acrylic acid in isopropyl alcohol and dimethylformamide solutions was investigated between?196°and40°. Mixtures which form glasses at low temperatures exhibit a maximum in the rate of polymerization at 30° and 50° above the glass transition temperature (T_g). The difference between the most favourable temperature for polymerization and T_g is larger than in systems studied previously. This fact could be due to the presence of H-bonded aggregates.The study of the polymerization of acrylic acid in dimethylformamide solution at 20° led to a correlation between this reaction and the presence of plurimolecular aggregates. The very high polymerization rate and the syndiotacticity of the resulting poly(acrylic acid) confirm the earlier assumption of a favourable orientation for propagation of the molecules of acrylic acid in these aggregates.     

Polymerisation de l'acide methacrylique en masse et en solution

In spite of the fact that the bulk polymerization of methacrylic acid proceeds under precipitating conditions, all conversion curves are linear and start from the origin. The overall activation energy of the gamma ray initiated reaction is very small: 1.3 kcal/mol. Methanol and water are solvents for the polymer but also form monomer-solvent complexes through H-bonds. It was found that, over a limited concentration range in these solvents, the reaction becomes auto-accelerating both in precipitating and homogeneous reaction media. Non-polar solvents (hydrocarbons) lead to a significant reduction in the polymerization rate but this effect is not as pronounced as for acrylic acid. Chlorinated derivatives reduce the polymerization rate of acrylic acid to the same extent as hydrocarbons but, for methacrylic acid, chlorinated derivatives lead to sensitization. By analogy with earlier results for acrylic acid, it is assumed that the auto-acceleration observed in water and methanol solutions is caused by a “matrix effect”. In bulk, the monomer undoubtly also associates with the polymer but, in view of the bulky methyl groups, the regularly oriented structure which favours propagation presumably never arises. The very small activation energy of the polymerization suggests that chain termination requires a significant activation energy. The mechanism of this process is not clear.     

Influence des solvants sur la copolymérisation de l'acrylamide avec l'acrylonitrile

The copolymerization of acrylamide with acrylonitrile was investigated in various solvents, which can be put into three groups according to their influence on molecular associations; (1) solvents autoassociated by hydrogen- bonds (acetic acid, methanol, water, dimethylformamide); (2) polar solvents which can associate with the NH group of acrylamide (acetonitrile, dioxane, acetone); (3) inert solvents (toluene, benzene, hexane). The reaction kinetics and the compositions of the copolymers are different for each group of solvents. The composition of copolymers formed in solvents of group 1 vary widely, depend- ing on the solvent. Copolymers formed in all solvents of group 2 have the same composition which is that of copolymers formed in bulk. The amount of acrylamide is highest in copolymers formed in inert solvents of group 3. Such parameters as the degree of conversion, the reaction temperature, the mode of initiation and the extent of dilution only slightly affect the composition of copolymers. Homopolymerizations of acrylamide and acrylonitrile were investigated in all solvent used.The results suggest that the effects of solvents on the copolymerization of acrylamide with acrylonitrile are consequences of the various modes of molecular association of acrylamide. The solvents affect the equilibrium between auto- association of acrylamide and its association with solvent and thereby affect the reactivity of the monomer.     

Greffage radiochimique de l'acide methacrylique sur des films de polytetrafluoroethylene

Methacrylic acid was grafted into the bulk of PTFE films 50 μm thick by irradiating the films in aqueous solutions of monomer containing CuCl₂. The influences of radiation dose-rate and of temperature were investigated. The swelling of the grafted films was studied in the following solvents for the grafted branches: water, methanol, DMF and their mixtures. In each case the molar ratios corresponding to the limiting swelling were determined. It was further found that the grafted films swell in carboxylic acids such as methacrylic, acrylic and acetic acids, which are non-solvents for the grafted branches. This swelling is much slower than the swelling in good solvents. It is suggested that it results from a molecular association of the carboxyl groups of the solvent with those of the polymer.     

Isolement de l'acide 3-amino 12-methyl tetradecanoique et de l'acide 3-amino 12-methyl tridecanoique a partir de l'iturine,antibiotique de Bacillus subtilis

lturin, a peptide antibiotic from Bacillus subtilis, was separated into three iturins: A, B, C by thin-layer chromatography. Iturin A, which has an antifungal activity, contains Asp, Glu, Tyr, Ser, Pro in a molar ratio 3:1:1:1:1 and a lipid moiety AL. The latter was shown to be a mixture of C₁₄ (40%) and C₁₅, (60%) amino-acids. The structure of these was determined by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the N-acetylmethyl esters. Strong peaks at m/e = 144 and m/e = 102 indicate a β-amino group. Identification of acetone and methylethylketone after chromic acid oxidation indicates an iso and anteiso structure. After comparison of the natural amino-acids with synthetic 3-amino pentadecanoic acid it is concluded that the lipid AL is a mixture of 3-amino 12- methyltetradecanoic acid and 3-amino 12-methyltridecanoic acid.     

Copolymeres du chlorure de vinyle et de l'acrylate de glycidyle

A study of the radical copolymerization of vinyl chloride (C) and glycidyl acrylate (A) at 60° in dichloroethane solution leads to the following reactivity ratios r_c = 0·14 ± 0·02 and r_A = 7·4 ± 0·3According to the nature of the solvent, the reaction of protonic acids may cause either cationic polymerization of epoxy groups or addition of HCl or water onto the same groups. The HCl addition is observed during the thermal degradation of the copolymers so that HCl evolution is greatly delayed.     

Greffage de l'acide methacrylique sur des films de poly(chlorure de vinyle) par la methode radiochimique directe

Since PVC films do not swell in pure methacrylic acid (MAA) the films were subjected to gamma-rays while dipped in various mixtures MAACHCl₂. Under such conditions, the grafting proceeds smoothly and its rate exhibits a flat maximum for the mixture containing ca. 50% (molar) monomer. The rate satisfies the relationship Rate = KI^0.6 and the over-all activation energy of the process is 4 kcal/mole. MAA grafted PVC films do not swell in solvents for PMAA (such as water or methanol) even for high grafting ratios. This result is unexpected since PTFE films grafted with either acrylic or methacrylic acid swell to a large extent in water and are excellent membranes. The swelling of the grafted PVC films was investigated in mixtures 1,2-dichloroethylene -methanol. It was found that the extent of swelling was highest in the mixture containing 35% methanol. The unusual swelling properties of these grafted films are attributed to strong polar interactions between PVC and PMAA chains.     

Polymerisation purement thermique de l'acide acrylique en masse et en solution

The thermal polymerization of acrylic acid in bulk is faster than that of styrene. The conversion curves exhibit auto-acceleration and the product contains a significant fraction of syndiotactic polymer. The overall activation energy is 14 kcal/mol. The rate of the thermal polymerization decreases sharply when the monomer is diluted with toluene. In 50% monomer solutions, the conversion curves are linear and the overall activation energy is 29.8 kcal/mol. With 75 and 90% monomer solutions, the Arrhenius diagrams showed breaks caused by a change in the type of auto-association of the monomer. A comparison of these results with earlier findings obtained in the radiation polymerization of acrylic acid makes it possible to estimate the activation energies of the thermal initiation. It is found that E_i is 14.1 kcal/mol in systems where the monomer forms linear oligomeric association complexes and 34.4 kcal/mol if only cyclic dimers are present in the system.     

Sur un “effet de matrice” dans la polymerisation de l'acrylonitrile en masse

The kinetics of the radiation initiated polymerization of acrylonitrile at 20° have been investigated in the presence of a highly divided polyacrylonitrile obtained by polymerizing the crystalline monomer. This polymer catalyses the reaction to a much larger extent than polymer formed at 20°. The analogy between the kinetic features of the polymerizations of acrylic acid and acrylonitrile in bulk leads to extending to this last monomer the assumption of a “matrix effect” in its polymerization. This effect is believed to result from the dipole interaction of the nitrile groups which lead to the formation of a complex in which the double bonds are favourably oriented for the propagation. If the matrix-polymer is produced with a pre-irradiation dose at low temperature exceeding a critical value, inhibition occurs perhaps resulting from the addition of growing chains to the CN double bonds present in the matrix-polymer.     

Greffage radiochimique de l'acrylonitrile sur le poly(methacrylate de methyle)

The radiation-induced polymerization of acrylonitrile with dissolved PMMA exhibits kinetics similar to those found with the pure monomer. The addition of PMMA to the monomer at first leads to an increase in polymerization rate; a maximum in rate is observed for 60 per cent acrylonitrile in the mixture. The unreacted PMMA was quantitatively extracted by toluene from the reaction mixture. In contrast, polyacrylonitrile could not be separated from the graft copolymer by fractional precipitation, presumably due to association of the graft copolymer with the precipitated homopolymer. The free radical yield of PMMA “G_R effective” derived from these results was found to be 8 to 10 in mixtures containing small amounts of monomer. It rapidly decreased as the monomer concentration increased.The solubilities of the graft copolymers were characterized by the precipitation γ determined for several precipitants in DMF solutions. A maximum in solubility was found for copolymers containing 25 to 35 per cent acrylonitrile in DMF-alcohol mixtures. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the graft copolymers were measured using a penetrometer. T_g increased with the MMA content in the copolymer. A small minimum of T_g appeared to exist for copolymers containing 90 per cent acrylonitrile.     

Deshydratation du di-t-butylmenthylcarbinol dans l'acide acetique anhydre: Probleme de l'etape determinante

The products of the acid-catalysed dehydration of di-t-butylmethylcarbinol (1) in acetic acid are 2-t-butyl-3,3-dimethylbut-1-ene (2) and 2,3,3,4,4-pentamethylpent-1-ene (3). The rate constant for the rearrangement of 2 to 3 (k_rearr) is about 10 times smaller than that of dehydration (k_I). The kinetic isotope effect on the dehydration rate of d₃-methyl-(1) is that expected for a secondary isotope effect upon carbonium ion formation; there appears to be no primary kinetic isotope effect. The rate determining step is, then, probably heterolysis of the protonated alcohol, contrary to what is observed in aqueous media where carbonium ion deprotonation is rate determining. At low acidity (H₀ > - 1) the (log k_I)/ — H₀ correlation has a slope close to unity but at higher acidity log k_I increases faster than —H₀.     

Étude cristallographique et vibrationnelle de complexes metalliques de l'acide aminométhylphosphonique

The crystalline structure of the complex between Zn(II) and aminomethylphosphonic acid [Zn(AMPh)₂· 4H₂O] is described. This complex crystallizes as an orthorhombic system (space group Pca2₁, a = 10.001 ± 0.002, b = 12.140 ± 0.002, c = 10.281 ± 0.002 Å; Z = 4). Zinc is tetrahedral and coordinated with 4 oxygen atoms of 4 phosphonic groups. The IR spectra of this complex and its N-deuterated derivative in the solid state are analysed in relation to its structure. By comparison, a vibrational study of two other complexes showed Mn(II) gives the same type of coordination as Zn(II), but Cu(II) binds with both phosphonic and amino groups.     

Effet α. influence de la substitution sur l'exaltation de reactivite d'oximes vis-a-vis de l'acetate de p-nitrophenyle

Kinetic measurements show the relation between the magnitude of the “α effect” exhibited by trifluoromethyloximate anions RR'C=N-O^? and the electron attracting properties of the substituents. Indeed, the reactivity enhancement which is observed for α-trifluoromethyloximes is similar to that found in earlier studies of α-hydroxyiminoketones. This characteristic behaviour is no longer observed for oximes bearing an electron releasing substituent at the α-position of the hydroxyimino group. On the basis of sodium oximate molecular orbital energies the “α effect” induced by electron attracting substituents appears to depend on both the interactions of nitrogen and oxygen lone pairs of electrons and the lowering of the π^* vacant orbital thus favouring a secondary interaction between the π^* anion orbital and the π orbital of p-nitrophenylacetate carbonyl group.     

Etude cinetique de la copolymerisation alternee de l'indene et du methacrylate de methyle en presence de sesquichlorure d'ethylaluminium

The copolymerization of indene with methyl methacrylate (MAM) initiated by u.v. irradiation, in the presence of ethylaluminium sesquichloride (SCEA) as a complexing agent, yields alternating copolymers when [Indene] ≥ [MAM] ≥ [SCEA]. Values of $\text{M}$_n of the copolymers range from 32,000 to 900,000, depending on the concentrations of the reagents, reaction temperature and intensity of u.v. light. The kinetics can be explained simply by assuming a statistical copolymerization of indene with a MAM-SCEA binary complex, but intervention of a ternary complex SCEA-MAM-indene cannot be discarded. At high MAM concentrations, the free MAM becomes involved in the copolymerization.     

Oxydation électrochimique de l'acide formique sur électrode d'or en milieu neutre

The electrochemical oxydation of formic acid is studied in 0.5 M Na₂SO₄ medium on a gold electrode, for pH greater than pK of formic acid. Its characteristics are different from that of an acid medium. The reaction begins at about 200 mV/NHE. The oxidation current shows a maximum at about 800 mV/NHE depending on the rate of potential change. A mechanism is written and one interpretation is given taking into account the aqueous species adsorbed on a gold electrode.     

Amorceurs radicalaires fonctionnels—3. Obtention de copolymeres polystyrene-polyoxyethyleneglycol a l'aide de macroamorceurs du type di-percarbonates

Polystyrene-polyoxyethyleneglycol block copolymers are obtained by free radical polymerization of styrene initiated by OO-t-butyl and O-polyoxyethyleneglycol di-percarbonates. Synthesis of di-percarbonates (“macroinitiators”) is described and the thermal stabilities of model compounds are studied. It is shown that copolymers containing up to 35% polyoxyethyleneglycol can be obtained.     

Polymerisation cationique de l'indene amorcee par le tetrachlorure de titane-I Influence des impuretes du solvant,le chlorure de methylene,et effets cocatalytiques de l'eau et de l'acide chlorhydrique

The polymerization of the system indene-titanium tetrachloride-methylene chloride gave irreproducible kinetics which have been attributed to variable concentrations of impurities in the solvent. Incomplete yields sometimes observed at ?70° are also caused by impurities, but introduction of water and hydrochloric acid then gives complete yields. A new method of solvent purification has been used giving reproducible yields and rates. In such cases, monomer consumption at ?70° follows the rate law log [M]_o/[M] = kt.